The Return of the Cambrian Period Chapter 12

 Chapter 12: Global Evolution

After walking for over an hour, the two of them found themselves in a seemingly endless sewage pipe, surrounded by suffocating darkness.

Cheng Tianbi, plagued by constant hunger, finally reached his breaking point and slowly sat down, leaning against the wall.

Cong Xia was faring slightly better, and upon seeing Cheng Tianbi’s condition, he quickly crouched down and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Cheng Tianbi placed a hand on his stomach and lowered his head in response.

“Are you too hungry?” Cong Xia inquired.

Cheng Tianbi nodded, requesting, “Let me rest for a moment.”

“What good is resting if we’re hungry?” Cong Xia anxiously surveyed their surroundings. The flashlight’s feeble beam illuminated nothing but wild grass as far as the eye could see.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Tye kv dsv clld qsa nsdnladp ycswv vbl taypp rsvldvkyzzu clkdt vsmkn, Ubldt Mkydck oswze byhl elhswale kv zsdt yts. Jwv bkp ayvksdyzkvu nswze sdzu bsze swv qsa ps zsdt; vbl vypvl sq pvyahyvksd kp sdl vbyv nyd dlhla cl tayprle cu vbspl obs byhl dsv lmrlakldnle kv.

Ekvdlppkdt Ubldt Mkydck’p qyvktwl, Usdt Dky nswzed’v blzr cwv qllz y rydt sq ekpnsxqsav. Tl nkanzle yaswde yde tayprle y nzwpvla sq pllxkdtzu byaxzlpp okze taypp okvbswv blpkvyvksd, pbshkdt kv kdvs bkp xswvb.

Lso, bl ds zsdtla osaakle ycswv vbl vsmknkvu. Fkdnl vbyv fyel bye pyhle bkx sdnl clqsal, kv oswze zkjlzu es ps ytykd.

Mbl ynake yde ckvvla qzyhsa sq vbl okze taypp qkzzle bkp xswvb, nywpkdt Usdt Dky vs alvnb plhlayz vkxlp. Tl nyxl nzspl vs prkvvkdt kv swv. Llhla kd bkp zkql bye bl vypvle psxlvbkdt ps kdvldplzu ckvvla; bkp vsdtwl oldv xsxldvyakzu dwxc.

Xcplahkdt Usdt Dky’p rzktbv, Ubldt Mkydck qwaasole bkp caso yde oyadle, “Psd’v rwv lhlauvbkdt kd uswa xswvb.”

Usdt Dky plvvzle clpkel bkx, nzwvnbkdt vbl nzwxr sq okze taypp. Ekvb bkp pxyzz, pbyar vllvb cyale, bkp qyka qynl nsdvsavle kdvs y takxynl. “Nlv xl… zlv xl vau kv. Rq kv’p dsv rskpsdswp, vbld usw nyd lyv kv. Ohld kq kv vypvlp yoqwz, usw pvkzz byhl vs lyv psxlvbkdt.”

Ubldt Mkydck takrrle vbl cynj sq Usdt Dky’p dlnj okvb sdl byde yde vyrrle bkp fyo okvb vbl svbla. Rd alprsdpl, Usdt Dky pryv swv lhlauvbkdt kd bkp xswvb okvb y qsanlqwz “rvwb, rvwb!” Tl okrle bkp xswvb, olyakdt yd lmralppksd sq alhkhle bsrl. Tsolhla, tygkdt wrsd vbl byzq-nblole okze taypp pvalod sd vbl taswde, bl blzrzlppzu yeele, “Ebyv olal usw vbkdjkdt? R bye pvawttzle ps byae vs lyv kv.”

“Ls xyvvla bso xwnb sq vblpl vbkdtp R lyv, vblu osd’v pyvkyvl xl.”

“But now there’s nothing else to eat.”

Cheng Tianbi retrieved something from his backpack. Cong Xia leaned in for a closer look and discovered a bundle of thumb-thick incense.

“What kind of incense is this?” Cong Xia inquired.

“It’s used to smoke insects in the wild.”

“Does it make them unconscious?”

“No, drive them away,” he said.

“You want to eat insects?” she asked.

Cheng Tianbi stood up, holding a lighter. “They’re better than wild grass.”

Indeed, there were many insects chirping among the grass, their strange sounds giving off an eerie feeling. Some of the insects were even larger than his toes. At first, Cong Xia became frantic when he felt something crawling on him, but after walking in that wretched pipe for seven to eight hours, he had become numb.

Cheng Tianbi handed the incense and lighter to Cong Xia. “You smoke from this end, and I’ll block the other.”

Cong Xia obediently crouched to the side and ignited the incense, using it to fumigate the grass. In less than half a minute, over a dozen thumb-sized, black, soft-bodied insects emerged from the pitch-black grass. Cong Xia hadn’t expected there to be so many insects, and it made him feel nauseous. Before he could think much, the number of emerging insects increased, albeit slowly and clumsily. Cheng Tianbi swung his backpack and crushed a whole group with a single strike.

Once they finished fumigating that patch of grass, they moved on to the next one. They continued this process for over ten minutes, and the ground became littered with the corpses of insects, totaling around forty to fifty.

Cong Xia wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at the flattened insects. With difficulty, he asked, “Did we really have to eat them?”

Cheng Tianbi didn’t utter any unnecessary words. He had already started gathering the insect corpses in front of him. Within moments, a small mound of insects, entirely black, formed on the ground. Some of them were still twitching their legs.

Cheng Tianbi lit some dry wild grass and surrounded the pile of insect meat, roasting it.

Cong Xia silently turned his head away. As someone who had an immense love for food, he couldn’t help but feel like crying when he considered his current predicament.

After a while, the aroma of charred meat wafted through the air. Cong Xia swallowed his saliva. “Could they be poisonous?”

Cheng Tianbi replied, “Doesn’t matter.”

Faced with the choice of either starving to death or being poisoned, the presence or absence of toxicity was truly inconsequential.

Once the insects were cooked, Cheng Tianbi sat on the ground and picked up a roasted bug with his combat knife, chewing it without any hesitation.

Cong Xia swallowed his saliva and squatted nearby, watching Cheng Tianbi devouring the insects with gusto. Deep inside, he still had some reservations about eating the insect meat.

Cheng Tianbi glanced at him. “Come and eat.”

“I-I’m not as hungry as you are. You should eat your fill first.”

Cheng Tianbi coldly stated, “You’ll slow us down. Hurry up and eat.”

Trembling, Cong Xia reluctantly approached and used his fingers to pick up a piece of insect meat. After hesitating for several minutes, he closed his eyes, bit down on it, and shoved it into his mouth.

The first thing that hit his palate was the indulgent flavor of meat. Cong Xia couldn’t resist taking another bite. It was both crispy and tender, albeit slightly bland. But surprisingly, the taste was not bad at all. He quickly finished the meat in a few bites. As the food slid down his esophagus and into his stomach, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. Even his toes warmed up. This was not just eating; it was redemption! The insect meat was akin to the pinnacle of delicacies!

Cong Xia trembled as he reached out his hand, grabbing a small handful of insects and stuffing them all into his mouth. He wolfed them down hungrily.

Cheng Tianbi let out a cold snort. “These won’t be enough for us. We need to roast more.”

Cong Xia nodded hastily in agreement.

They continued fumigating and roasting, eating over a hundred insects as they made their way forward.

After they had eaten their fill, both of them collapsed in a corner, taking a rest.

Cong Xia lay on the ground for a while before crawling next to Cheng Tianbi. “Soldier, are you asleep?”

“No,” Cheng Tianbi replied firmly. In such a perilous place, he couldn’t afford to fall asleep.

“I’ll keep watch for you. Take a nap,” Cong Xia offered.

“No need,” Cheng Tianbi declined.

“Just sleep for a while. Only an hour. You’re much more tired than me. I’ll wake you up, I promise,” Cong Xia insisted, trying to convince him.

Cheng Tianbi glanced at him skeptically. “Don’t fall asleep.”

“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t.” Cong Xia raised his wrist, showing his watch as a testament to his commitment.

Cheng Tianbi took a deep breath and hugged his submachine gun, planning to rest his head on his pack. Cong Xia quickly tried to please him. “Rest your head on my leg. Your pack is filled with weapons, it must be uncomfortable to rest on.”

Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia’s sincere and sparkling eyes. He had intended to push him aside, but refrained from doing so.

Cong Xia had already moved the pack to the side, spread out his legs, and patted his thigh a couple of times. Then he smiled gently at Cheng Tianbi. “Come on, go to sleep quickly. We can only survive if you regain your strength.”

Cheng Tianbi hesitated for a moment before lying down, resting his head on Cong Xia’s thigh, and closing his eyes.

Cong Xia’s gaze traveled from Cheng Tianbi’s smooth forehead to his curly eyelashes, his prominent nose bridge, and finally settled on his thin lips. He unconsciously smiled and softly said, “Soldier, sleep well, don’t worry.”

Cheng Tianbi quickly entered a light sleep, while Cong Xia dared not sleep but felt incredibly exhausted. He took out the ancient jade piece, holding it in his hand, trying to distract his thoughts and focus on it.

What wonders did this jade hold? The old man claimed him to be his only descendant and mentioned that he should learn something… What was it? Was it the Sanskrit script? Did he have to enter that void to find the answers?

Cong Xia gripped the jade piece, silently recalling everything that happened in that void, every word the old man uttered, and the Sanskrit script that shimmered with golden light. Strangely, he understood all of those Sanskrit characters, but at the time, they seemed to be a jumbled mess before his eyes, lacking any coherent meaning. However, he vividly remembered characters like gold, wood, water, fire, earth, and similar words. He just didn’t know what they conveyed.

If only he could take a closer look at those Sanskrit scripts. There must have been many mysteries within them. He really wanted to see them again…

Lost in his thoughts, Cong Xia was astonished to find that the ancient jade in his hand began to glow. The light grew brighter, and once again, the Sanskrit scripts appeared in his consciousness, but this time, he was fully awake.

He quickly glanced down at Cheng Tianbi, who happened to open his eyes at that moment and sat up abruptly, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.

Nervously, Cong Xia asked, “Wh-What’s wrong?”

“I sense a… tremendous energy,” Cheng Tianbi said, looking at the glowing jade in Cong Xia’s hand. “Is it this?”

“I-I saw some words.”

“Where?”

“In my mind.” Cong Xia pointed to his head, closing his eyes. The Sanskrit scripts formed a luminous “wall” in his mind, consisting of not only texts but also some unfamiliar symbols.

The way those Sanskrit scripts were written was in an ancient and cryptic language. Strangely, as Cong Xia began reading, the ancient language in the Sanskrit scripts automatically transformed into modern language descriptions in his mind. Starting from the first paragraph, Cong Xia read that he had been instructed to refine energy without attributes.

What was energy without attributes?

What kind of energy? What did it mean by “without attributes”?

Cong Xia was filled with questions as he continued reading. The following text described the method of refining energy without attributes, which resembled practicing qigong. It mentioned absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, continuously purifying the energy core. The text even classified the purity of the energy core into seven levels: the first level was the Storage Core, the second level was the Fusion Core, followed by the third level of Earth Core, the fourth level of Heaven Core, the fifth level of Profound Core, the sixth level of Yuan Core, and the seventh level of Pure Core.

Cong Xia felt dizzy from reading so much. What exactly was the energy core?

Continuing to read, the text explained the process of refining energy without attributes, constantly refining and purifying the energy core. It discussed the influence of the environment, the method of breathing, the content of meditation, and so on. In short, the more he read, the more profound and enigmatic it became. Cong Xia felt that this was how ancient people cultivated their internal strength.

Perhaps internal strength truly existed.

But if the cultivation of internal strength followed the practices of ancient martial arts experts, it would take decades of dedication. He didn’t have that kind of time. Surviving for a few more days in this post-apocalyptic world would already be a miracle.

“What did you see?” Cheng Tianbi urged.

Cong Xia quickly opened his eyes. “I saw many extraordinary things. I’ll tell you later.”

Cong Xia continued reading, realizing that the methods for refining energy without attributes were diverse and even mentioned drinking the blood of certain creatures to enhance the energy without attributes. However, he had never heard of such creatures because many of the methods described were beyond his capabilities.

Nevertheless, the more he read, the more fascinated he became by the teachings on this “wall.” The contents concealed within the ancient jade revolved around the rules of the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Gradually, he understood that the energy without attributes, mentioned at the beginning, existed independently of the five elements but could also interact with them.

Cong Xia absorbed an overwhelming amount of information, and before long, he was drenched in sweat. He opened his eyes, and the Sanskrit script “wall” in his mind vanished without a trace.

Cong Xia took a few deep breaths, feeling exhausted and having many urgent questions that needed answers. But he couldn’t continue reading.

Cheng Tianbi stared at him motionlessly, waiting for him to speak.

Cong Xia swallowed nervously. “It was incredible. This ancient jade is like a book, containing incredibly mysterious things.”

“Such as?” Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi and suddenly thought of the power of wind that had evolved within him. Could this be the energy mentioned in the ancient jade?

The more Cong Xia thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

The term “energy” was incredibly broad and encompassed electric energy, hydraulic energy, nuclear energy—each representing a different form. However, the energy referred to in the ancient jade must have had a specific meaning and should be related to the global evolution happening at present.

If he followed this line of reasoning, Cheng Tianbi’s wind energy belonged to the Wood element, one of the five elements. All things in the world were composed of the five elemental forces, but after Cheng Tianbi’s evolution, he leaned towards the Wood element.

On the other hand, Cong Xia hadn’t undergone any evolution, making it impossible for him to determine which elemental force dominated within his body.

Cong Xia grabbed Cheng Tianbi’s hand and anxiously said, “Sense it.”

“Sense what?”

“Sit properly, close your eyes, concentrate your energy in the lower abdomen, and feel the energy within your body. According to the ancient jade, the energy body should be able to sense the condensation of energy within oneself, forming a ‘core.’ I don’t know if this ‘core’ is real or illusory, but if the energy mentioned in the ancient jade is the energy you evolved, then as an energy body, you should have a ‘core’ within you!”

*********************

Previous Chapter   |  Return to Home

Index | Next Chapter 

********

Other Novels: 

Managing a Divine Beast Kindergarten in the Immortal Realm
The Strongest Princess Consort in the Interstellar